Dreams for my daughters

On Mother’s Day, I would like to share my wishes for the two people who made me a mommy. I have so many hopes for my two young daughters as they move through life. To name a few…

Dear Little Ladies,

I hope you’ll be intentional about the people you surround yourself with-and spend more time with people who bring you joy.

I hope you’ll keep finding bliss in a scoop of Superman ice cream with rainbow sprinkles.

I hope that through nature, nurture, or a little bit of both, you’ll amass some sechel , or common sense, to navigate this complicated world.

I hope you’ll be generous with your time, money, forgiveness, and smiles.

I hope you’ll keep finding magic in the mundane–when watching the buttons light up on an elevator ride, shopping in the cereal aisle of the grocery store, or playing with a pile of sticks in the yard.

I hope that Daddy and I complete our Talmudic obligation of teaching you “to swim” and guide you through–not shield you from–life’s tumultuous waters.

I hope you’ll show up–for what you believe in, for your friends on their hardest days, and for their simchas , too–and when you have the chance, I hope you’ll always dance a hora.

I hope you’ll love with all your heart.

I hope you’ll say sorry, and mean it, when you hurt someone or do something unkind, but never say sorry for who you are.

I hope you’ll offer your seat on a crowded bus to someone who needs it more than you, and I hope you’ll make room at your Shabbat and seder table for someone who needs that, too.

I hope you’ll be bold enough to take a seat at the table in the school cafeteria, in a city council meeting, and in a boardroom.

I hope you’ll cut through the noise and carve out some space to be still when you need it.

I hope you’ll always love being a member of a tribe who value Torah, family, and community, and who know it’s how we treat each other that counts-and that all the rest is commentary.

I hope you’ll act the same, whether you’re talking to a member of the C-suite, or the custodian who cleans it.

I hope you’ll practice tikkun olam in ways that are meaningful to you, and help piece back together our broken world.

I hope you’ll remember that when you’re sad, that “this too shall pass,” but that when you’re elated, that will pass, too.

I hope you’ll make Shabbat special in whatever way is special to you.

I hope you’ll make your unique mark in the way only you can because, as the Arcade Fire song goes: “There are things that you could do that no one else on earth could ever do…but I can’t teach it to you”

I hope your biggest wishes come true; you’ve made my biggest wishes come true–the two of you.

Love,

Mommy